Shopping All Done

Well, almost all done. I have 1 item left to buy for my brother - a copy of the latest issue of Sporting News. I'm waiting until I go grocery shopping this week for that. I've gotten him a subscription, and since it's a weekly magazine, I wanted to get a relatively new issue to wrap. But other than that, I'm done. Done. Done. :-) In fact, all I need to do yet is wrap gifts and bake cookies. And maybe a trip to Cincinnati this weekend. That's not decided 100% yet. Anyhoo.....

So, like I said, my shopping is done. Not too much went on the credit card thanks to my Christmas Club account, but really, nothing should have went on the card. Next year, I have to, have to, have to find a different way of handling the Christmas Club money. It's too easy to have it in the checking account and "borrow a little bit" for a bill, only never to regain it. As much as I hate the idea of having a lot of cash in the house, I may try that next year, depositing it to the checking as I spend online and going cash only in town. Hopefully that will help.

I also need to keep in mind stocking stuffers (and Easter baskets) all year 'round. DD is very easily to get little things, but DS is a whole 'nuther matter! I think I'm starting a new tradition with him (and probably should with her as well) in that I'm giving him a few tools in his stocking. He has a set of tools already, but some of them are rusty from our basement, and he now has plenty of room in his closet since we no longer have extra clothes to store from hand-me-downs. Hopefully over the next few years, I can get him at least a starter set of good, basic tools, and by watching sales over the year, they shouldn't be too expensive.

These are pretty much all I think I'd like to do different next year. By the time the kids head off to college in a few years, I should have things pretty well set! haha